Second 2015 Snow Survey

 So right after we did the last snow survey, we had a big snow storm. Hurray, we thought, the mountains will be snowy again. And then it didn't snow. At all. For the rest of the month. So when we headed out on the April 1 snow survey, we knew it wouldn't be pretty. In fact, we didn't even bother to take skis. We had snow shoes, but it turned out we barely needed them.

The first site was devoid of snow. That made it take about two minutes long to do the survey, nothing to measure. Fortunately the second snow course had snow on it, although in the photo below, you can see the nearby hillside had melted out.

The lower snow course marker was in a bare patch, but fortunately we didn't have to measure there. We had been warned that we might have record low snow levels and to take lots of pictures. Well, the good news is that we didn't have record low snow levels. The bad news is that we were the second lowest in the 70+ years the snow survey has been conducted.

We weren't sure what we would find when we reached the third snow course. Turned out we saw our ski tracks from the first survey. I guess that big snow we got lower on the mountain didn't happen up higher. Seeing month-old ski tracks is not a good sight.

We measured and remeasured until the numbers agreed and found again we were at second lowest record level. Fortunately, that still amounted to about 40 percent of median. Not as bad as the Sierras, but still quite bad. Everything seems so dry.

Sometimes getting that snow measurement isn't so easy. Maybe it's a good thing we weren't on skis, it would be pretty hard to do this!

And if you wondered what the snow core hole looked like:

What, you didn't wonder? That's okay.

We finished the snow measuring before noon. We usually don't even get to the third site before noon. So we had a leisurely lunch on the dry grass in the sun. We took off our snow shoes, let our gaiters and snow pants dry out, laid back on our puffy jackets. And then we heard a noise. We listened and realized that people were approaching. But these weren't any hikers. These were super hikers. Complete with shorts and flip flops. We were impressed, hiking in the snow in flip flops is not for the faint of heart.

Giggling, we headed downhill, revisiting the sagebrush buttercups that like to bloom right after the snow melts.

We also found some desert biscuitroot,  a less conspicuous flower.

There's some rain in the forecast next week, and we sure hope it comes. The dry, warm winter we've had is a harbinger of wildfires, diseases, and pests. But right now it's a great time to get outdoors and enjoy!

A Better-Than-Expected Adventure

With our very warm March, we spent more time outdoors than usual, and one Sunday we decided to take a hike to check out a cave I had the coordinates to. I didn't have much more information than the coordinates, so we didn't know what to expect. We packed up and enjoyed the hike, seeing a few splashes of color as wildflowers like Indian paintbrush (above) and milkvetch (below) bloomed.

This juniper on the top of a cliff looked like a bonsai tree.

It took us about 45 minutes to find the cave. I rigged a rope to check out the entrance and found this western fence lizard hanging out on a midden part way down.

I had managed to forget a descent device (never mind that I have seven), so I rappelled on a munter. (It's great to know different techniques--if you'd like to learn more, check out this upcoming cave rescue training.) Then I climbed out and lowered my husband and Desert Boy. Desert Girl didn't want to be lowered, and I wanted to move the rope to an easier spot to get out of the cave, so we went in from this side, where we could see the dark mouth of the cave beckoning.

We only found one historic signature in the cave, Cliff Bellander on June 25, 1955.

The entrance descended steeply over boulders and cobbles.

Before long we saw old, weathered formations. The floor was primarily a packrat midden.

The cave kept descending fast, and I was glad I had my 20 feet of webbing to help belay the kids down the steep sections.

Most of the cave was very dry, but we did find this wet formation with very pretty decorations.

The cave wasn't large, but it was certainly larger than we were expecting. And more beautiful too. It's such a treat when things turn out that way! Then it was time to head out. Desert Boy scrambled out with the help of the rope before I even finished taking photos. Desert Girl tried, but needs a little more strength.

She was happy to be hauled out.

I wanted to get a family photo, but those seem to be hard to get when we all look happy.

We knew the truck wasn't far, and the kids wanted to get to the snacks. So they took off. I was impressed with how Desert Girl ran through the bushes, jumping over small obstacles.

I was a lot slower, pausing to take photos, like this bitterbrush seed.

It was a fun adventure and a good day.

Desert Girl Turns 5

 Desert Girl turned five recently. We were out of town, so we had to postpone her party.

Fortunately the weather cooperated, and when we took treats to her preschool, we were also able to do a piñata outdoors. The kids were so excited.

They had a lot of fun swinging at Tinkerbell.

After two rounds, the piñata still hadn't broken, so I just scattered the contents on the ground. I didn't want the kids to get too sugared up, so they grabbed for organic fruit snacks, mini bubbles, stampers, and some random toys around the house. (Sorry, other parents, I just couldn't take stray army men and animals any more. Hopefully they have found a happy place in your house!)

We also had a little family party. Desert Girl loved the attention. The guys loved playing an airplane game. Ha, ha.

Desert Girl is in a big doll phase right now, so she was very excited to open a doll with accessories. She ran and got a little tiara to make the doll even more a princess.

When it came time to cupcakes (which she wanted to help make because now that she's five she has the privilege of cracking eggs), she was still clutching the doll.

Fortunately she's not too girly. She was offered a ride by her uncle in one of the ranch's small planes, and although hesitant at first, she eventually worked up her nerve and got in. She peered out the window the whole time and took in a different view.

I'm sure she will have lots of fun times as a 5 year old!

Block Island Organics Sunscreen Review

I was contacted by Block Island Organics to see if I'd be willing to do a review of one of their sunscreens, and I quickly said yes. Last year I was quite unsatisfied with the sunscreens we used, so this year I did some research to try to find better ones. I still hadn't found the perfect one though.

What's the perfect sunscreen?
I want sunscreen that works, is good for the skin, and is a reasonable cost.

The first and last parts are fairly obvious, but how do you know if it's good for the skin? My favorite resource is the Environmental Working Group (EWG) database. If you haven't already checked your sunscreen, I recommend you do. Some common ones, like Hawaiian Tropic, have very high ratings, which mean they are more toxic. The database explains why. Even some brands that you think would be good for you, like Trader Joe's, score poorly. Some brands, like Banana Boat, have products that run the spectrum from good to poor. All of Block Island Organics sunscreens score 1 or 2, the best scores a product can get.

Here we all are with Block Island Organics SPF 15 sunscreen on. Desert Boy didn't get his rubbed in all the way so has white splotches on his cheeks, but the rest of us did better.

We tried out Block Island Organics SPF 15 sunscreen on a couple hikes that happened to be above 10,000 feet, which means the suns rays are extra strong due to the lack of air to filter the sunlight. The sunscreen did great, but according to the bottle needs to be reapplied every two hours, so don't forget!

What I like about Block Island Organics SPF 15:
* No fragrance
* Keeps me from getting sunburned
* Works well on kids, too
* Just a little spreads onto a big area
* Large 6 ounce bottle will last a long time

What I don't like so much:
* It's a little hard to get soaked into skin (this has been true with all mineral sunscreens I've tried)
* If you don't rub it in immediately, it leaves white splotches
* I keep forgetting that a little goes a long way and squeeze too much out!
* Cost is a bit high (but be sure to see below!)

As I mentioned earlier, cost is something I consider for sunscreen (and any product I buy). I'm willing to pay more for something if it's better quality. With that said, the full price for Block Island Organics sunscreens is too high for me. However...

Special Deal
Here's a sweet deal. Block Island Organics is offering my readers a 20% discount off their products with code gretchenb. This stacks with the sale they're offering right now (30% off), so you can get a really good deal on a great product! The code is only good until 9/24/14.

What products do you recommend that help you enjoy your times in the outdoors more?

(I received a bottle of Block Island Organics sunscreen for this review. All commentary is my honest opinion.)

2014 New Year's Resolutions

2014 New Year's Resolutions

Last year I made New Year's resolutions and publicly posted them on my blog. I tried to make them reasonable resolutions, but even so, I was a bit surprised that I really was following them when I checked in on them a couple times during the year and again now.

Last year I made five big goals for the year, and I really liked how that worked. In fact, I liked that so well that I will be using that strategy again, with some minor tweaks.

Here's a brief rundown:
1. Play more music. I wanted to play an hour a week, and although I might have fallen a little short, I have improved a bit on piano. I did play a trumpet solo and also with the local orchestra, and it felt so good to play! I also started Desert Boy on piano, with five-minute lessons each day. He's progressed really well, and I hope to continue that into 2014, along with spending about 10 minutes a day on my practice.

2. Exercise regularly. Check. It's definitely harder in the winter, so I did a variety of exercise videos when I couldn't make it outside. This fall I gave P90X a try, and while I liked the workouts, I had a hard time fitting them into my day. Fortunately P90X3 has just come out, with 30 minute workouts, and I'm looking forward to them. In addition, for 2014 I'm not just exercising to feel better and be healthier, my husband and I have also set a goal: climb Mount Rainier in September. To reach the top of this 14,440 foot peak, we're going to have to do a lot of training. I'm looking forward to being in the best shape of my life come September!

3. Organize my house. We made good progress in 2013 on getting more organized. Getting more stuff out of the house made the biggest difference. We still have a ways to go to be where I'd like to be, so we'll keep working on it one corner at a time. If the house is organized, it takes less time to clean, which means we have more time for fun! It also makes me feel better and less stressed, and I'm more apt to have visitors come to the house, which also improves how I feel. (We'd love to have more visitors in 2014!)

4. Eat healthier. We've made good strides in eating healthier. I felt really good this year, and I think a large part of it was having a more natural diet. We have cut out a lot of processed food from our diet. One of our easiest changes was to freeze 100% fruit juice in special containers. When the kids want a special treat, they ask for the frozen juice instead of a popsicle or other packaged food that contains too much sugar and/or artificial flavors or colors. We're going to continue on our journey of eating healthier in 2014.

5. Give more. In 2013 we enjoyed the program We Give Books throughout the year, where we got to read books for free and the organization that sponsors the website gives books away. We also gave of our time in various ways. In 2014, we'll continue many of those efforts, but the one I particularly want to focus on is to give more time to my husband. Specifically, I want to figure out a way we can have one date night a month. That might not sound like much to some, but for us it would be huge.

Of course I still have plenty of other things I want to do: read the Bible in one year (I started last year but didn't make it through, maybe this year will be better!), write more, self-publish a children's book about the Great Basin, spend more quality time with friends,  learn a lot more about structural fire fighting and emergency medicine, improve my birding skills, find more ways to enjoy the outdoors with my kids, learn how to raise chickens, take some trips, and keep learning. To name a few. I'm sure I'll find more things to do throughout the year. As I get to know myself better, I find that I feel most alive if I'm learning something new, having an adventure, and sharing my knowledge.

I don't want to have such a long list of resolutions that it becomes burdensome, though, so I'll stick to my list of five and everything else that I get done will be a welcome bonus! I'd love to hear some of your resolutions, if you're willing to share, either in the comments or on the Desert Survivor Facebook page.

Thanks for being part of the Desert Survivor family. We wish you and yours a wonderful 2014!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Here are some things we've done to get in the proper spirit.

1. Turkey shoot.
Nope, we don't shoot turkeys (although that is very tempting, especially since the non-native ones introduced here a few years ago are wreaking havoc on the ecosystem). We went to our local Turkey Shoot (a fundraiser) and shot at targets; the winners took home turkeys.

We let the kids participate, as where we live guns are important tools for getting your food. We want them to respect guns and learn how to use them properly. The turkey shoot turned out to be a very family friendly event, and we enjoyed spending time with each other outdoors. Bonus: we did some good shooting.

2. Turkey dissection.

Well, since we won some turkeys, we had to check one out more thoroughly. The giblets were our area of focus. We looked up information on the neck (tasty for soups), gizzard (special organ at top of stomach to grind up grain since turkeys don't have teeth), liver (largest organ), and heart. Then we dissected the organs. The kids thought it was really cool.

Here's pre-dissection. I did take a post-dissection photo, but what's the fun in showing that when you can try doing it for yourself!

Looking forward to eating some turkey tomorrow! Have a super holiday and weekend!

A Quick Desert Hike

 It's been a crazy busy week, hence the infrequent postings. The good part is that I have plenty of material now to share! It seems that every September gets so busy as we try to squeeze in all the things we wanted to do during the summer but didn't have time, plus enjoy the fall colors, get into the swing of school activities, and meet all the end of year deadlines (if you have a calendar year like me of October-September).

We make it a priority to get outside as much as possible (especially since Desert Boy is showing a tendency to become quite attached to computer and iPod games!). I cajoled the kids to go on a bike ride. That was okay, but I heard a bit of complaining. But then we came to a fun-looking arroyo and decided to take an impromptu hike.

 Desert Girl was fascinated with the sparkly golden rocks. She wanted to take them all home, but was agreeable when I told her she could pick just one and it had to fit in just one hand.

 We have had so many mushrooms coming up with the recent rains. They are quite fascinating, but I don't know hardly anything about them.

 We continued until we found a little pool of water. The kids were really happy.

 Desert Girl found some stones to throw in. I started getting a bit concerned that this could end up really messy and we would have an uncomfortable ride home.

 The kids did fine, but I ended up in a bit of mud. (As you can see by my footwear, I really wasn't planning on a desert hike! Fortunately these sandals are up to almost anything.)

 I found the new erosion from the recent rains interesting. The downcutting exposes roots, which are usually deeper than I think they will be.

 Some of the downcutting was a bit deeper, but nothing like what they recently experienced in Colorado.

 Desert Boy thought it was a lot of fun to find steep banks to conquer.

 We saw a little bit of flood debris in the arroyo bottom, but not much. Nevertheless, we made sure to have a conversation about flood safety and where you should go if water starts coming down a canyon. (up!)

The impromptu hike put us all in a really good mood. It's amazing how a little time in the outdoors and a feeling of exploring can make you feel so good!